My overwintered Onions and Garlic were harvested last week and this years crop was less of a weeding nightmare than usual.
We like bigger onions and using weed control fabric seems to constrict the onions size so we usually grow them on an ordinary raised bed.As the season progresses weeds can become a big problem and take up a lot of time so this year we decided to try mulching around the onions with grass cuttings.
The two main problems that had me worried about this method were spreading grass seed and slugs.However these problems never materialised.We keep our lawns mowed weekly ensuring it never gets to the seed stage and I applied a thin layer of mulch every couple of weeks.And as for slugs even though the lawn cuttings would be an ideal medium for them they just dont seem to have a taste for onions and there was no damage.The overwinter onions were planted as sets last November and seemed dormant most of the winter till spring arrived and they started growing again.I started adding a thin layer of mulch after giving the beds a good weeding and within weeks noticed a serious slow down in weeds.
The three main advantages I noticed with the mulch were
1. After a day or two the grass cuttings dried out and formed a kind of mat over the soil and during extremely hot weather when the surrounding soil was bone dry you could lift the grass cuttings up and the soil below had noticably more moisture.So the mulch protects moisture in the soil and stops it drying out.
2. The grass cuttings layer eventually disintegrates into the soil fertilising and adding nitrogen to the ground.
3. This does not completely do away with weeds as after a few weeks a few brave souls will push their way up through the grass cuttings.However they are few and far between and have very weak roots which seem to be very shallow and are pulled easily through the layer.So a quick weeding session and then its time for another mulch layer on top.
The harvested onions were perfect. No disease,big round bulbs and strong vibrant green stalks.They are currently drying out now and I am using the same method on my maincrop Onions and they are looking just as healthy.The double result of both fertilising the soil while stopping weeds competing for resources is a winner.The only downside I had was less grass cuttings for my homemade compost but the savings in time not having to weed the beds was definitely worth it for me.